Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria
The Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria (commonly called the SP) is a political party in Greater Hulstria. Originally formed in 2413, it is currently the largest party in the Diet, with 298 seats. As a founding member of the Hulstrian Monarchist Society, it currently enjoys a strong alliance with the Fascist Authority Party. It currently holds the Ministries of Justice, Health and Social Services, and Food and Agriculture. Since its return to Hulstrian politics in 2769, the party has seen drastic growth, especially under its previous Chairman, Ambrose Bauer. Between 2776 and 2797, Bauer substantially improved relations with most other parties in the Imperial Diet, especially with the FAP and the Kaiserliche Hulsterreichische Partei. Bauer abandoned some of the policies of his predecessor, Margaret English, entering into a united cabinet involving all parties in the Diet. Under his rule, the party rose from a low of 105 seats to a high of 229 seats up-till-that-point, and became an icon of the socialist movement in Greater Hulstria. The current Chairman is Eva Kohler, who assumed the post in 2818. The party is headquarted in the historic Thatcher House in Kien History of the SP Mormon Socialist Party The Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria was initially established as the Mormon Socialist Party in June 2413 when 10,000 Mormon refugees fleeing persecution in Dranland arrived in the Crownland of Hulstria. Almost immediately, the other parties, led by the Hulstrian Nationalist party, conspired against the Mormon population, which led to the MSP's opposition to the government. It eventual lead them to propose the Republic Act 2413. In response, the Imperial Diet passed the Un-Hulstrian Activities Act 2414, which banned the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and deported everyone who practiced the religion. It also led to the commencement of an Imperial Tribune, which the party ignored. The Imperial Tribune abruptly ended with the end of apartheid, which revoked the law approving the Imperial Tribune. The MSP, along with the Gao-Showa People's Party, took part in the cabinet following the next election, at which time the MSP Party formally renounced Republicanism and embraced the Constitutional Monarchy. In June 2426, it was a key partner in the establishment of the Dual Monarchy of Hulstria and Gao-Soto. Moroni and Independence Following the party's evolution into a socialist organization in 2440, the party's main partner were the Coalition of Casual Sects and the Progressive Liberal Party of Hulstria. Also, following the immigration of Mormon refugees from Deltaria, the party followed them to the new City of Deseret, but were forced out by a systematic campaign by the military and gishoto tribes. It soon set up a city, which the named Moroni, where it, along with the Church, built its headquarters. But it soon became evident that the Mormons still wished to be citizens of Greater Hulstria, which other parties were adamently opposed to. When it became clear that the other parties would not allow Moroni to join the Eastern Territories, the MSP, reluctantly, proposed and eventually won a vote on independance for Moroni, leaving behind the Hulstrian political scene. Its leader at the time, Jane O'Neil became the leader of the the new nation. Modern Era After many centuries of self-imposed exile in Moroni, the City was readmitted into the Eastern Territories in 2771, causing the MSP to once again return to the Diet. In 2770, two months before the official integration of the city, it contested its first election in the Diet since 2469. It only picked up 5 seats, all in Kuratha, all due to short time it had to prepare. The party, as expected, picked up many more seats in the general election of 2773, picking up an additional 149 more seats, making it the second largest party in the Diet. It also entered the cabinet, in an alliance with the CLA and HNP, with 5 positions, including the Ministry of Justice. In September, 2774, the party announced its transformation into the Socialist Party of Greater Husltria. Bauer Era The party, along with the other liberal parties, suffered a major loss in the General Elections of 2776, losing 45 seats, with conservative parties becoming the majority in the Diet. As a result, the national council of the party elected Ambrose Bauer as Socialist Party Leader, deposing Margaret English. Bauer became the first non-Mormon to head the party. Despite the party's opposition to its lack of proportional representation, the SP and the Fascist Authority Party reached a deal in which the SP entered into the united cabinet with the other parties. The deal includes an agreement to fundamentally reform the way in which the cabinet is formed, and how the Staatsminister is elected. The debate on the issue began, but was expected to take many years before an agreement could be reached. The SP gained 4 seats in the 2779 general election, bringing its total up to 110 seats. The party thus ranked fifth in the number of seats, but only 36 seats behind the largest in the Diet, the Objektivismus Partei. After the 2779 election, the SP became a major leader in the movement to restore some of the Emperor's powers. It would also join at that time the Hulstrian Monarchist Society, along with the FAP, Nationale Partei, and Kaiserliche Hulsterreichische Partei. During the party conference of 2782, the party adopted significant changes to the party structure, including replacing the previous position of Leader of the SP with an Office of the Chaiman. Ambrose Bauer was choosen by 95% of the delegates to be the first Chairman. The party made major gains in the September 2782 elections, picking up 27 extra seats, and gaining control of the local government in Kuratha. It became the second largest party in the Diet, at only 15 seats behind the Christliche Liberalen Allianz. The party, with Ambrose Bauer as it's candidate, also made it into the second round of the Governor-Generalship election, but lost to the Nationale Partei, due to the opposing party recieving the endorsement of the Fascist Authority Party and the Kaiserliche Hulsterreichische Partei. The SP has also seen an increase in support for its proposals regarding the abolition of the Governor-Generalship. The party made a moderate gain in the 2785 general elections, gaining two seats in an election that saw little change in the Diet, but still managed to replace the CLA as the largest party in the country, with 139 seats. It was followed close behind by the CLA, who had 137 seats. In the General Election of 2788, the SP continued to increase its seat share by picking up 17 seats, bringing the total up to 156 seats. With 21.51% of the Diet under it's control, the SP gained the party's highest percentage of seats in any election since 2431. But, at the same time, it lost its status as the largest party to a resurgent CLA, who picked up 33 extra seats, mostly from the FAP, to bring its total up to 170 seats. In 2791 the party made massive gains, picking up 73 seats and bringing its total to an all-time high of 229 seats.Three years later, in the 2794 elections, the party lost only 6 six in the Diet, bringing its total to 223 seats in an election which saw major losses by other parties. In the election of 2797, the party suffered its first double digit decline in twenty-one years, losing 20 seats, bringing its total to 203 seats in the DIet, and moving to second place behind the CLA. Ambrose Bauer once again lost the Governor-Generalship in the second round. Soto Era But shorty after the election of 2797 it was announced that Bauer had an incurable form of pancreatic cancer, and would resign his post the following month. His resignation, coming at a time when he was tremendously popular with party members and voters alike, came as a major shock to the party. Under the laws of the Socialist Party, his Vice-Chairman, John Soto, became the new Chairman of the party. Soto was a sharp contrast to the friendly and approachable personality of Ambrose Bauer, and was percieved as a cold, yet extremely skilled, politician. Soon after taking the post, the tense relations between the SPGH and the CLA boiled over when cabinet negotiations commenced in 2798. The Nationale Demokratische Union, which had been excluded from the cabinet the last time around, put forth a proposal that included all parties with representation in the cabinet. Although every other party voted in favor of it, the CLA abstained from voting after pledging to not enter into a cabinet with the SPGH. When the CLA again refused to enter into a united cabinet, the NDU put forward a cabinet without the CLA, which subsequently passed. The actions of the CLA were widely condemned for breaking the tradition of unity cabinets. The situation eventually led to a slight improvement in the relations between the socialists and the NDU, which had previously marked by great hostility. Immediately after the passage of the new cabinet, efforts, led by the FAP, began to form a new united cabinet, which passed only a few months before the election. In the general election of 2800, the first without Bauer in 20 years, the SPGH was hit with a 26 seat loss. While similar to the result in the previous election, it brought the seat total to 177 seats, greatly reducing the party's influence in the Diet. The party did not run a candidate for the Governor-Generalship, instead endorsing Fascist Authority Party Candidate, Friedrich Ewald II, who went on to win the contest. Soon after the election, calls for the resignation of Soto began. Bauer-Chamberlain Era In October, 2800, Soto faced a challenge from Maggie Bauer-Chamberlain, the daughter of former Chairman Ambrose Bauer. Although Soto was reelected by the assembly 52%-48%, he faced increasing pressure from many within the party over the next few months. Tensions peaked in the summer of 2801, when it was revealed that Soto had been absent from Thatcher House for more than a month, leaving party affairs to his staff when critical legislation was being debated by the Diet. Also, his reluctance to give interviews to the press and his lack of charisma caused his approval ratings to plummet. Eventually, his base of support rapidly disappeared, and the party Board of Selectmen voted 7-3 (with Bauer-Chamberlain abstaining, under party laws) to hold a mid-term meeting of the General Assembly in September, 2801 to vote for a Chairman, the first time the board made such a move. When the Assembly voted, it overwhelmingly voted against Soto, and elected Maggie Bauer-Chamberlain as its new Chairman, by 81% to 19%. In the election of 2803, the party reached a record high total of 248 seats in the Diet, and was by far the largest party in the nation. But soon after the vote, the party's organization was the victim of a massive ponzi scheme run by a renegade financier in Kien. The investments were made during the chairmanship of John Soto. As a result, the financially ruined party did not contest another national election until September, 2815, though it did continue to contest elections at the local level. Over the next twelve years, the party began to rebuild the party's infrastructure from scratch, under the direction of Eva Kohler, and the process was extremely successful. In 2815, the party roared back to life, winning 218 seats in the Diet, an impressive showing for a recently dormant political party. In 2818, the Socialist Party gained another 17 seats to bring its total up to 235 seats. In both elections, the endorsement of the SPGH for Governor-General went to Friedrich Ewald II of the Fascist Authority Party. Both times he won election by wide margins. Before the election of 2818, Chairman Bauer-Chamberlain announced that she would step down as the party's leader, no matter what the results were. Kohler Era As it turns out, the only contender to replace her was Eva Kohler, who recieved the endorsement of Bauer-Chamberlain early on, and won the position with all members of the general assembly voting in favor of her. She immediately jumped into the stalled cabinet negotiations. With several cabinet positions empty for several years, Kohler was eager to make a deal with the CLA, offering a united cabinet in which all parties had an equal share of power, but the CLA steadfastly refused to accept the SPGH's offers. Despite the best efforts of Kohler and the Fascist Authority Party, an agreement was not reached before the election of 2821. In that election, the SPGH dominated, gaining 44 extra seats to bring it's total to an all time high of 279 seats. The SPGH endorsed candidate for Governor-General, Charles Fuerstien, won the election in the first round with over 66% of the vote. A few months before the election of 2824, the CLA gave in and the Diet approved a united cabinet, with Kohler becoming the Minister of Justice. Later that year, the party picked up an additional 19 seats, bringing it's seat total up to 298, or over 40% of the Diet. Party Platform Devolution vs. Centralization The SPGH favors a highly centralized economic system which provides for the most vulnerable in our nation. The SP also advocates for the introduction of stock market regulations. Abortion To a very negative reaction by the other members of the Imperial Diet, the Socialist Party, led by Margaret English, has in the past few years made efforts to legalize abortion, changing the law so abortion is legal throughout the first trimester. Although it was unknown at the time of his election if he would continue the policy, Ambrose Bauer made it clear that he is pro-choice. All of his successors followed his lead. Capital Punishment The Socialist Party has, on numerous occasions, introduced legislation that would have banned the use of the death penalty in all cases, but has been defeated by large majorities in the Diet. Imperial Family The Socialist Party, unlike other leftist parties, is a strong advocate for a constitutional monarchy, and is opposed to any republican movement. Same-Sex Marriage The Socialist Party has been a very strong advocate for same-sex marriage, arguing that it is a matter of equal rights. War and the Military The Socialist Party takes a pacifist position in military matters, arguing that military force must be used only as a very last resort. It has also argued for a complete severing of ties between the armed forces and the Imperial Police. Environment The SP has been a constant advocate for the need to protect the environment from the forces of man, having introduced strict legislation into the Diet to reduce the impact of man on the planet, but these positions have not been picked up by the other parties, and thus have had little success. Party Structure The party is led by the Chairman of the Socialist Party, who is the public representative of the party, leads it's legislative efforts, and, if the party does not endorse another party, serves as it's candidate for Governor-General. The current chairman is Ambrose Bauer. The Chairman heads the Board of Selectmen of the Socialist Party, which is comprised of 11 high ranking members of the party, and who conduct most of the everyday business of the party. The Chairman and the Board of Selectmen are both elected by the General Assembly of the Socialist Party, which is comprised of 501 socialist party members representing and elected by their local parties. The Chairman and each Selectman must be elected by a 50% vote of the assembly, but, in order to endorse a candidate from another party, the assembly must pass the motion by 60%. Views of Other Parties Fascist Authority Party The Fascist Authority Party is by far the closest ally of the SP. After a rocky start to its relationship, the FAP and SP worked hand in hand, under the leaderships of Ambrose Bauer and Erik Chamberlain to restore unity among the parties, advance royalist legislation, and advocate for a reform of the political system. Christliche Liberalen Allianz The Socialist Party and the Christliche Liberalen Allianz are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, with the CLA advocating for a drastic reduction of federal power. Adding to the tension between the two parties was the cabinet dispute of 2773, which involved a coalition between the CLA, SP, and the Nationale Partei. The SP later revealed that the CLA decieved the SP and misrepresented events to the other parties, making it look like the work of the SP, in order to gain more positions within the cabinet. After that incident, the SP allied itself with the FAP, who offered a more fair and equal partnership which has lasted to the present day. Nationale Partie While the SP and the Nationale Partei disagree when it comes to the centralization of power, they have consistantly paired up to advance royalist legislation. Party Affiliations and International Organizations *Socialist International *International Human Rights Movement *International Monarchist League *International Lesbian and Gay Rights Association (ILGRA) *United States Coalition *Pax Hulstria *Hulstrian Monarchist Society *Central Government Advocates *International Olympic Committee (IOC) *Axis Agreement Organization Links *Official Site of the Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria (Outside Website) *Diet Profile of the Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria (Particracy Website) *List of Chairmen of the Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria *Ambrose Bauer Category:Parties of Hulstria & Gao-Soto Category:Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria